The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party won 89 of 102 lower house seats in the first phase of Myanmar’s junta-run election, claiming more than 87% of the contested seats. Critics, including Western diplomats and rights groups, call the vote a façade for military rule given Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention and the exclusion of the National League for Democracy. A quarter of parliamentary seats and key cabinet posts remain reserved for the armed forces under the constitution. Final nationwide results are expected after the third phase on January 25.
Pro-Military USDP Wins Nearly 90% Of Contested Lower House Seats In First Phase Of Myanmar Vote
Myanmar's dominant pro-military party won the first phase of junta-run elections, the last released official results showed (STR)(STR/AFP/AFP)
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), widely seen as aligned with Myanmar's military, won 89 of the 102 lower house seats contested in the first phase of the junta-run election, official tallies released between Friday and Monday show.
That result represents more than 87% of the seats decided on December 28, with the remaining constituencies largely taken by small parties representing ethnic minorities, according to an AFP compilation of official results.
Election Context
The vote is the latest step in a month-long, phased ballot overseen by the military that seized power in a 2021 coup. Western diplomats and pro-democracy advocates have dismissed the election as an effort to legitimise military rule, pointing to the jailing of Aung San Suu Kyi, the dissolution and exclusion of her party (the National League for Democracy, NLD), broad crackdowns on dissent, and a ballot skewed toward parties allied with the junta.
Critics say the USDP functions as a proxy for the armed forces, noting the large number of retired officers in senior party positions.
What This Means
Even after all phases of voting conclude, the military will retain substantial guaranteed power under the 2008 constitution: 25% of parliamentary seats in the lower house and key cabinet posts are reserved for serving armed forces members. Final, nationwide results are expected only after the election's third and concluding phase, scheduled for January 25.
The 2021 coup — which followed the NLD's decisive victory in 2020 — sparked a wider insurgency. Many pro-democracy protesters formed armed groups and allied with longstanding ethnic minority forces; rebel factions have vowed to block voting in the territories they control. The junta has acknowledged the ballot cannot be held across the entire country and has launched military offensives to try to reclaim contested areas and reopen them to voting.
Key facts: USDP 89/102 seats in phase one; first-phase voting took place on December 28; the NLD is barred and Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained incommunicado; nationwide results pending after January 25.
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